"Stop Ahn Se-young." GoAT, "The Year of the Horse." Yes, it's the first competition... Should I make "Ahn Se-young the World" again this year

*This content was translated by AI.

I had my best season in 2023 and won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024. The year 2025 made Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) the best player in badminton history. With the world paying attention to and checking Ahn Se-young, he will enter a new season.

Ahn will participate in the BWF Super 1000 Series Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from the 6th to the 11th.

The starting point that opened a brilliant career last season was the Malaysian Open. Ahn Se-young goes out to protect the champion's position.

Ahn Se-young won 11 times last year, setting a tie record for the most wins ever by both men and women. It is a new record for the most wins in women's singles. In addition, he recorded the highest single-season winning rate in badminton history with a 94.8% winning rate, and also set another record of over $1 million in cumulative single-season prize money ($1,3175, about 1,441.86 billion won).

The expression of no adversary is correct. Ahn is now going to meet the male player's eye level and play to become a better player. Furthermore, he will enter the new season with another goal of Super 1000 Slam (all Super 1000 Series titles) and participate in the first stage, the Malaysian Open.

It's been an amazing year, Ahn Se-young recently said on her social networking service (SNS). "I'm very proud that I won 11 titles this season," he said, adding, "I want to come back stronger in 2026 and break more records."

The world's badminton scene is also trying to change with Ahn's solo performance. BWF has predicted a change in rules in the new year, and its main goal is to change the 21-point set system to a 15-point method. It is justifiable to raise interest for faster progress, but one of the methods usually used to break down the power-take-all system of a few strong players is shortening scores. This is because there is a high possibility that variables will occur. Even if you miss the flow somewhat at the beginning of the set, there is a lot of room to overcome with your skills in the 21-point system, but if it changes to the 15-point system, it will inevitably be difficult to reverse.

Of course, this change cannot necessarily be seen as unfavorable to Ahn Se-young. Ahn Se-young may ease her physical burden in the 15-point system as concerns about health problems such as chronic knee injuries follow.

Ahn Se-young also returned home after winning the World Finals 2025 (if the rules change) Of course, I think there will be some difficulties in the beginning, he said, "But I think if we play the game, we will finish adapting and lead to good results." On the other hand, it seems that the physical burden can be reduced because the score decreases. I think it would be better if I think about that."

However, 2026 is expected to be the best season to reach the goal that Ahn Se-young wants, as there is a high possibility that changes can occur in a situation where it is difficult to find an opponent. The change is likely to be finalized through a general meeting in May next year, and in that case, it is expected to be applied from the 2027 season.

The opponent in the first round (32) was Michelle Lee (Canada), ranked 12th in the world, and Ahn Se-young showed off her natural enemy to the extent that she has never lost in eight matches.

In the round of 16, there is a high possibility that they will face Japanese veteran Nozomi Okuhara (30th place), and in the round of 8, they will face Kim Ga-eun (16th place) or Hanye (5th place), Chen Yufei (4th place, China) and Rachanok Intanon (Thailand, 7th place). Wang Zui (2nd place, China) and Akane Yamaguchi (3rd place, Japan) are located on the other side of the match table and can only compete if they advance to the finals.

This season, along with the Super 1000 Slam set by Ahn Se-young himself, the Asian Games are planned to be the defending champion. To this end, the result of the Malaysian Open, the starting point, is more important.

The national team will move to New Delhi, India, immediately after the Malaysian Open ends and participate in the Indian Open (Super 750), which will be held from the 13th to the 18th. Attention is focusing on whether Ahn Se-young, who won the top prize in both tournaments last year, will be able to win two consecutive tournaments.

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*This content was translated by AI.